How Songwriting Saves The World
Songwriting Saves the World is a podcast started by Sasha Bellentine and Annick Blaize in April of 2020. Their inspiration behind the podcast was to create a community of writers and musicians that was both largely female and queer. You can listen to Songwriting Saves the World on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and more. They also promote a diverse range of artists on their podcast and social media accounts to support female and queer artists in the music industry. This past holiday season the podcast featured representatives from I Support the Girls and Affirmations. I Support the Girls is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and collecting resources for homeless and impoverished women. Affirmations is an LGBTQ nonprofit centered in Michigan that provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community in Michigan and beyond. With this collaboration, the co-hosts wished to show ways to help women and LGBTQ outside of the music industry as well. Read on to learn more about the co-hosts, their philanthropy, and how songwriting truly does save the world.
Where are you based?
We’re both based in the U.S. Sasha is based in Boston, MA and Annick is based in Miami, Florida.
What inspired you to get into songwriting?
Definitely Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana. Taylor Swift because she is an amazing writer, and Hannah Montana because we found out she didn’t write “The Climb.” That’s when we realized that songwriting is a skillset and career outside of performing.
Where do you draw creativity from?
We draw creativity from so many different places. We find that songwriters are quite observant in nature, so we draw inspiration from our own lives, as well as, the lives of our friends, families, and collaborators. Sometimes even books, movies, and random people at the coffee shop.
You are both songwriters and co hosts of Songwriting Saves the World. What was the inspiration behind this podcast?
We started the podcast in April of 2020 because we wanted to build a community of writers and musicians that was largely female and queer focused where we could provide listeners with practical information and inspiration surrounding songwriting.
So, how does songwriting save the world?
We believe art in all forms saves the world, but songwriting in particular provides a vessel for stories and emotions that is super accessible, beautiful, and reaches a large audience.
Where are readers able to listen?
You can listen to Songwriting Saves the World on all major streaming platforms! This includes Spotify, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and more.
In a world where it seems everyone is starting a podcast, how are you guys able to set yourselves apart?
Songwriting Saves the World is different from other podcasts, because when you listen to SSW you immediately are included in a community of super welcoming music makers where you can learn, connect, and support each other.
You both have brought on a lot of singers, songwriters, producers, composers, label executives, and more to discuss their journeys. Do you have any advice for building your network within the music industry?
We think the most important thing you can do to build your network is be open, friendly, and don’t be afraid to reach out to people. There are so many incredible creatives and most people are usually happy to get together and make music if you’re just brave enough to ask.
Is there any advice that these guests have shared that has stuck with you both?
Yes!! One of our favorite pieces of advice was from Monique Idlett (founder and managing partner of Reign Venture Capital (RVC) and former CEO to Mosley Brands and Mosley Music Group), who told us that when it comes to your career no one is unreachable. If you’re enthusiastic, positive, and persistent you can get into a room with absolutely anybody.
What is your process while crafting interview questions for guests on your podcast?
The first thing we do is some internet stalking. Although, we usually already know a lot about the people we’re having on, we like to take a deep dive so that we can have interesting questions that are specific to them. Then we get on a call together and discuss what topics we want to cover in the episode and we write out all our questions in a shared Google Doc.
Do you have a dream podcast or songwriting collaboration?
We love other music podcasts like And The Writer Is… and Song Exploder. Collaborating with either of them would be amazing. Songwriting wise we’re huge fans of Justin Tranter and would love to collaborate with them!
This past holiday season you featured representatives from I Support the Girls and Affirmations, two nonprofits that you have recently partnered with. What are the missions of these two non profits and what drew you to feature them?
I Support the Girls is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and collecting resources for homeless and impoverished women. Affirmations is an LGBTQ nonprofit centered in Michigan that provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community in Michigan and beyond. We collaborated with these organizations as a way to support women and queer people (as we do on SSW) but outside of music specifically this time.
I Support the Girls is such a powerful organization. I feel like a lot of people don’t think about the extra stresses of being a woman who is homeless. Menstrual Hygiene and bras are both expensive and can be a huge extra burden. How would you like to see your listeners get more involved with this organization?
We encourage our listeners to help in any way they can! You can donate money to the organization, donate menstrual hygiene products, or spread awareness through your social media.
With the homeless population increasing due to the economical challenges resulting from the pandemic, what step would you like to see to further help homeless women?
Good question! I Support the Girls is a really great resource for specific information about how to help homeless women. Personally we feel like staying educated about the issues facing homeless and impoverished communities and donating to or volunteering with organizations like I Support the Girls are the best steps to take as a person trying to help!
Affirmations is also another powerful organization that is working to create safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. Can you please speak a little bit on this issue and why it is so important?
It is so so so important to provide resources and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people because there are still so many areas where safe spaces like this are limited or totally unavailable!
How can readers support these two non profits throughout the year?
You can donate money or goods to the organizations, or you can spread awareness through your social media.
How can readers best support women and queer artists throughout the music industry?
One of the best things you can do is to look at your Spotify ‘liked songs.’ Look at the music you listen to and notice whether you’re listening to a diverse range of artists. Do you listen to women? Do you listen to queer artists? Do you listen to artists of color? Oftentimes we can miss out on amazing artists just because they’re not the ones being promoted to us so if you notice that you’re not listening to a diverse range of artists go in search of some new people!! We often promote artists on our Instagram so you can start there.
Do you believe the power of music can influence charity and activism?
Yes! We definitely believe that music can influence charity and activism. Music has a way of bringing people together and it always has, which is what makes it so special.
From a songwriting perspective, what makes the perfect activist track?
We think there are many ways music can convey messages and be impactful. Regardless if a song is addressing a very specific issue for an ad campaign or a protest or if an artist is simply sharing their opinion through music — genuine messages and true stories tend to be the most effective.
Do you have any upcoming exciting nonprofits you are looking to highlight in the future?
There are so many incredible nonprofits that do so much good in the world! We don’t currently have any more collaborations coming up but we do support many more!
How are you staying positive during the current wave of the pandemic?
Hmmm hard one haha. We’re making sure to stay informed on the newest information regarding vaccination and how we can protect ourselves and the people around us during Covid. Metal health wise, we’re making music, connecting with friends, and going on lots of walks!
What does your new normal look like?
We’re both in school right now so our days are pretty busy and really just revolve around making music, class, and our podcast. Working hard is really important, but it’s also important to make time for friends, family, and walks!
What is your motto in life?
There’s a poem by Yayoi Kusama with the line “hoping to leave beautiful footprints at the end of my life.” Our general motto is to make things that have a positive impact whether that be a song, a podcast episode, or anything else.
To hear more from Songwriting Saves the World, please follow them on the platforms below:
Instagram: @songwritingsavestheworld , @sashabellentine , & @annickblaize
Spotify: Songwriting Saves the World
Facebook: Songwriting Saves the World
